MARCH 2001

03.31.01 GERI'S JUNK FOOD BAN from Megastar

Geri Halliwell banned junk food from the set of her new video so she wouldn't be tempted to binge, it was claimed last night. Sources say Geri ordered dancers and extras not to bring any snacks or sweets on to the set of It's Raining Men. The former Spice Girl has battled the eating disorder bulimia for years. She recently attended Overeaters Anonymous meetings in California in a bid to kick the problem that has plagued her since her days with the girl band. But despite her new slim frame, she clearly can't bear temptation. An onset source said: "We were told we must not bring crisps and sweets with us. We thought it was a little strange, but then realised it was for Geri's benefit. We understood because of all her recent problems. It was done so she could avoid temptation, because everyone knows how difficult conditions such as bulimia are to beat." 
The order was given as Geri shot the promo for her new single in London earlier this month. The singer has been looking better than ever since beating her craving to binge. She put herself through a punishing fitness regime and stuck to a strict low-carbohydrate diet. Despite not picking up an award, seven-stone Geri was the star of the Brits last month, when she first showed off her slender frame. Amazingly, it was only December when she reached an all-time low and attended Over-eaters Anonymous. 
She flew out to the States to be with best pal Robbie Williams and took the opportunity to kick her habit. At the meeting in Santa Monica, she sat listening to tearful admissions - and gave a $20 donation as she left. Last night, a spokesman said: "Geri's healthier and happier than she's ever been, and I think the front cover of the single speaks for itself." 

03.29.01 GERI SELLING HER COUNTRY MANSION from The Mirror

Singer Geri Halliwell is putting up a for sale sign on her three million pound country mansion because she wants a new home in London, according to a newspaper report. The 28-year-old former Spice Girl would like a full-time home in West London despite a recent break-in at her flat in the capital, the Mirror reported. According to the paper, Halliwell bought her mansion near Slough, Berkshire, for two million pounds two years ago at the height of the Spice Girls' success. Set in five acres, it has a paddock, staff quarters, and a 6-ft security wall. Despite refurbishing the six-bedroom property, the blonde star is said to feel that it no longer fits her lifestyle. "She pumped the money she made from the Spice Girls into that house," a friend was quoted as saying. "But she feels it is time to move on. She doesn't use the house at all and never goes near the gym or pool she had installed." "Geri just feels a bit embarrassed by how flashy the place is."

03.28.01 WHEN HARRY LEAVES A PRESENT....... from The Mirror

Shoppers at exclusive London store Joseph cried foul after a visit from Geri. Geri's beloved pooch Harry squatted behind a rail of pounds 1,000 leather jackets - and left a little present. As shoppers fled holding their noses, horrified Geri gasped: "I'm so sorry, this is so embarrassing. I take my Harry everywhere and he's never done this before." 
Shop assistants moved in swiftly to clear up the mess with sheets of tissue paper and Geri gave Harry a stern telling-off. She then carried on browsing for an hour before buying more than pounds 2,000 worth of clothes on her credit card. 

03.28.01 GERI ADMITTED HAVING HAD LESBIAN FANTASIES from Ananova

Geri Halliwell has admitted to having secret lesbian fantasies. The former Spice Girl says she often questions her sexuality. She adds she recently entertained the idea of becoming a lesbian at a celebrity party. 
"I met these two girls at a party and I was fascinated with the idea of whether it was easier to understand one another when you're both girls," she told gay magazine Attitude. "You can fall in love with anything, it's the sparkle in their eyes. Or it might be spiritual." Geri adds she often has e-mail love affairs in chatrooms: "I have loads of them, it's safe sex isn't it," she says. "They ask who you look like and I say 'I'm quite little with blonde hair and big boobs - a bit like Geri Halliwell'." 
Geri's new single, a cover of 1980s hit It's Raining Men, is released on April 30. It is featured on the soundtrack of the forthcoming Bridget Jones's Diary film. It is the first single to be taken from her second album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, which is to be released in May. The video for It's Raining Men features Geri as a vivacious young dancer backed by 120 other performers. She said: "It's a really liberating song, that makes you want to get up and dance! The video was brilliant to make. It is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Eighties show Fame and the movie Flashdance, both of which I loved." 
Bridget Jones's Diary is set to hit the UK's screens on April 13, with its soundtrack following on April 16. 

03.28.01 GERI WAS DESPERATE TO BE LIKED from Sky News

Geri was 'desperate to be liked' after leaving Spice Girls. Geri Halliwell has admitted being incredibly nervous prior to the release of her 1999 debut album, Schizophonic. The former Spice Girl says she was desperate to be liked. She says she is now proud of the album, and claims she is becoming respected. 
Geri told the April edition of Attitude magazine: "How nervous? My god, I was crapping myself. I was desperate to be liked by someone. I was pinning my happiness on it. I was as nervous as f**k. People didn't think I was good enough." 
Geri is more optimistic about the forthcoming release of her second album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. She says: "I'm f**king proud of this album. I know you're not supposed to seek outside approval but I'm starting to feel a bit respected, which is unbelievable!" 
Geri releases her cover of The Weather Girls' 80's classic, It's Raining Men, on April 30, with Scream If You Wanna Go Faster following in May. 

03.28.01 GERI'S DOG LEFT A LITTLE PRESENT IN AN IMPORTANT STORE from Megastar

Geri took her little lapdog Harry shopping . . . and he did aShihtzu all over the floor of a posh boutique. Dirty Harry left his mark on the plush carpet in Joseph's store in west London while the singer was spending some pennies of her own. Geri, out with new minder Terry, had taken the little Shih-tzu - a Chinese breed - along as she checked out the latest fashions to cheer herself up following last week's break-in at her flat. A sniffy spokeswoman at Joseph in Chelsea confirmed Geri and Harry had been shopping in the store, but refused to comment further. 
Onlookers claim Geri left quickly looking embarrassed after Harry left his deposit. And, a member of Joseph's staff said: "Geri's a regular customer ... It's been the talk of the place. Some shops ban all dogs except for guide dogs, but we don't mind - it's not a problem if they are going to spend thousands of pounds." 
One of the former Ginger Spice's early solo hits was Bag it Up, perhaps penned after an early experience of cleaning up after her pet. Meanwhile, Robbie Williams has told Geri she needs ex-SAS bodyguards to beef up her security after her flat was burgled. Robbie, who flew home from a sunshine break to comfort his girlfriend, has FIVE minders - and reckons only men from the "Who Dares Wins" regiment are good enough for her. 
A close friend said: "Geri was very shocked by the break-in at her home and Robbie hated seeing her so upset. He's very pleased with the guys he has looking out for him and reckons Geri needs the same sort of experts around her. Robbie's told her she needs to get some SAS guys as minders - because they are the best and only the best will do for her." 
Geri's security team is now headed by a Londoner called Terry, who took over her personal protection last week when towering minder Steve "Binsy" Marshall was fired. The ex-City of London policeman was given his marching orders after it was revealed he'd starred in a porn movie called Pussy Malone's Christmas Party. Friends claim Geri "didn't feel comfortable" with Marshall and asked to have him replaced - after just one day.

03.28.01 GERI'S PROMOTION PARTY from Sky News

Geri Halliwell showed she had put the trauma of having her flat trashed by burglars well and truly behind her by strutting her stuff at a showbiz bash in London's West End. And as in previous times of trouble, Geri turned to her two-year-old companion, Harry the shih-tzu, to escort her to the event - to promote her new album. Pop pundits were treated to a preview of her latest video for forthcoming single It's Raining Men as well as a selection of tracks from the album Scream If You Want To Go Faster. 
The glitzy party was held at the trendy Momo restaurant, but Harry apparently didn't indulge in the food on offer. Nor did he sip any champagne, sticking instead to his favourite tipple, water. Burglars stole possessions worth £80,000 and wrecked furniture when they broke into Geri's flat. The star moved into London's Lanesborough Hotel while the damage was repaired.

03.27.01 OFFICIAL GERI NEWS LETTER

Hi Everyone

Well what a week I've had! Firstly I was done for speeding and have been banned from driving for six weeks and now I've been burgled!!! It really upset me at the time, but life goes on and so do I. Can't believe my luck, so let’s hope things will start to look a bit brighter for me now that my new single is looking so fantastic!

For those of you who haven't downloaded my excellent new screensaver then hurry up and do it as you'll be able to get all the news first! The video for the new single "It's Raining Men" is now on MTV...have you seen it yet?

Basically it's a spoof of the 1980's films - "Fame", "Flashdance" and "Footloose" and was so much fun to make! I told you I got my legwarmers out and I do - surrounded by 120 gorgeous dancers from the original school of Fame.

I had to get really fit for the video and by the end of the two day shoot I was exhausted. There was quite a bit of training involved which meant eating a healthy diet, yoga and lots of exercise. I was running 6 miles a day and doing an hour of cycling and swimming. Afterwards I just wanted to veg out and relax so I'd get out loads of video's and sleep on my lovely sofa.

Anyway, I'm off now to do some shopping and then some more glamorous magazine photoshoots.

Don't forget to watch MTV!!!

See you soon and take care

Love

Geri xxx

03.25.01 BAD COMMENTS ABOUT GERI from Sunday Mirror

Geri Halliwell has been burgled. It's not nice but it's not front-page news either. Since when has the fact that a girl - whose fame now seems to be based solely on her six-pack stomach - has had milk and Ribena sprayed over her carpets been reason enough to justify endless pages of sexy photos and "in-depth" interviews about how "violated" she feels. The upside (for Geri, at least) is that the cleaning bill for the carpets will doubtless be met from the sales of her new record which co-incidentally is released in April and will doubtless benefit from the copious column inches she's had this week. 
But aren't we all just a teensy, weensy bit fed-up with manufactured grief, manufactured stardom and the manufactured reactions of people who are famous simply for being famous? These people have no real talent and no importance in the world - so why do we attach to much importance to the trivia of their lives? And the one thing today's so called "stars" have in common is not talent, but youth and a "backer" who wants to make money out of them. 
In a week when this country is in the grips of its worst-ever case of foot-and-mouth, when we're deciding whether or not to have an election and are teetering on the precipice of a recession, the papers are full of Geri' s burglary and her six-pack. Even more trivial have been the stories of Kelly Brook who, having failed at TV presenting, is now trying her hand at acting in America at which she will also fail because she has no talent for it. We have a Brookside actress, Claire Sweeney, who is being tipped as the latest TV sensation for no other reason than she didn't have a nervous breakdown on Big Brother and appeared to be quite sweet. 
Worst of all, there has been story after tedious story about the band Hear'Say who after just a few short weeks of fame are cracking under the strain. And the question we must ask ourselves is - just precisely who gives a monkey's about any of them? We are now living in a world where anyone over 25 doesn't count, where fame is the new religion but where it is no longer about talent - just good marketing. We have "stardom" which is based on show and no substance - which is not only boring but exhausting as well. 
People like Geri Halliwell and the kids in Hear'Say are no different from anyone else their age - yet we glorify them and treat them as special beings just because they got lucky enough to catch some marketing man's eye. And it isn't actually their fault because they've been brought up to believe that fame - on any basis - is worth having. They get used, abused and burned out, and the prize for all that is fame which will last only as long as their marketability or 24th birthday - whichever comes first. 
Ask any 10-year-old what they want to do when they grow up and they'll tell you they want to be famous. They don't know what for - they just want it. How are we going to make those children understand that the only kind of fame worth having is based on achievement, ability, skill and strength? Does that sound like Hear'Say's Kym or Kelly Brook to you? 

03.25.01 GERI DITCHED HER BODYGUARD from Sunday people

Geri ditched her bodyguard just days before his porn star past was exposed, I can reveal. Geri hired burly ex-cop Steve "Binsy" Marshall last week in the wake of a break-in at her home. But he was given his marching orders after just one day. Perhaps Geri managed to find out that the former City of London policeman had starred in blue movie Pussy Malone's Christmas Party. Geri immediately replaced him with another professional minder called Terry. 
He escorted her to see Dawn French perform at the Albery Theatre in London on Friday night and then on to Drones restaurant. A friend of Geri, whose new album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster is out in May, said: "She didn't feel comfortable with Steve Marshall and after one day with him asked to have him replaced. He was then told by her management people that his services were no longer required and they hired a new minder." 

03.24.01 THE DIRTY PAST OF THE BODYGUARD from Megastar

The huge minder hired by raid victim Geri Halliwell quit the police while being probed for romping naked in an X-rated film. Steve Marshall - 6ft 3in tall with a 50in chest - has been singer Geri's shadow since burglars ransacked her luxury flat. But the smartly-dressed guard has a saucy secret from his days as a constable with the City of London police force. Marshall's 17-year police career came under threat after top brass were told he had whipped out his truncheon in a raunchy film screened on Television X - The Fantasy Channel. 
They launched a disciplinary hearing and watched a video of the film, which showed Marshall cavorting with two beauties dressed as Father Christmas. The cast all stripped during a series of sizzling scenes. Marshall decided to leave his job before the head of the force delivered his judgment, so the disciplinary inquiry was never completed. A force insider said: "Steve was well aware that he had literally been caught with his pants down. He didn't wait to find out what would happen to him." 
A City of London Police spokesman said yesterday: "One of the breaches of our code of conduct is anything likely to bring the service into disrepute. That would cover any behaviour that we consider the public does not expect of a policeman. If an allegation is made, a disciplinary inquiry would be held and the Commissioner would decide what action to take after any hearing." 
Asked about Marshall, the spokesman would only say: "He resigned of his own volition." 
Married man Marshall, believed to be in his late thirties, has also served in the SAS. He was in the police from 1980 to 1997. He had been talked into doing the film by one of the girls in it - a stunning nightclub dancer he knew. After leaving the force, he started in security, often employing other men to work with him. As he developed contacts in the music industry, he got to protect Scots reggae star Finley Quaye. 
Former Spice Girl Geri, 28, signed Marshall up after burglars raided her flat in Notting Hill, west London, at the weekend, stealing jewellery and computer gear worth £80,000. Geri said: "It made me feel very vulnerable. It was really horrible. I felt so violated by it. It was a terrifying experience. When I walked in, there was all this milk and Ribena over the carpet. And all my washing was thrown around the flat. You never think it will happen to you. I'm so glad I wasn't there." 
Asked yesterday about her minder's sexy past, her spokesman said: "Geri wouldn't want to talk about this. We have no comment." 
But a former minder coll-eague of Marshall's said the ex-policeman was often ribbed for looking like a blue movie star - although his workmates had no idea that he really was. He said: "We were always taking the mickey out of Steve about it, saying he looked like a stereotypical Seventies sex film star. We would joke that all he needed was the moustache, because he was massively built with muscles everywhere - although none of us had seen if he was big in ALL the right places!"

03.24.01 IT'S RAINING MEN NEW CLIP AND THE PREMIERE OF THE VIDEO from Worldpop

Geri Halliwell's new single, a cover of gay anthem It's Raining Men, hits radio stations today but you can hear a clip of the track right here on Worldpop. Geri Halliwell was out and about last night at trendy London restaurant, Momo to premiere the video for It's Raining Men, which is featured on the soundtrack to the forthcoming Bridget Jones's Diary movie, and to play several new album tracks to members of the press. 

03.24.01 ROBBIE WENT BACK TO LONDON TO STAY WITH GERI from megastar.co.uk

Robbie cut short his sunshine holiday to help Geri Halliwell get over her £80,000 flat-ransacking nightmare. Despite needing a rest after gruelling gigs in Holland, he immediately flew home from Tenerife and rushed straight from the airport to her side. They enjoyed an evening at a top London restaurant - and then she spent the night at his flat. The 28-year-old ex-Spice Girl was distraught when thieves trashed her rented home in the capital and stole treasured items. 
The terrified singer even hired a new minder, fearing the criminals could strike again, and has been staying in a hotel ever since. But she was given a much-needed boost when Robbie, 27, learned of Geri's ordeal and fled the holiday isle where he'd planned to spend a few days with a mate. Geri, who watched his weekend concerts in Holland, had only the clothes she stood up in after the raid. So she went shopping to look her best for the restaurant date. 
She attended an Overeaters Anonymous meeting in the afternoon and - with a female pal who's been keeping her company - arrived for her dinner date at 9.30pm. An hour later, Robbie rushed to Chelsea's La Famiglia with his bodyguard in a chauffeur-driven limousine. Onlookers saw Geri and Robbie sharing a drink and a laugh - and one said: "They looked very cuddly together." 
Geri sent her own driver away and at 11.20pm the pop pair emerged and climbed into his limo for the short trip to Robbie's manager's Fulham house. Robbie, keen to keep his evening under wraps, was furious when photographers spotted them. He threw a bottle of water and screamed obscenities. But an hour later he and Geri emerged and headed for his flat in Notting Hill - near Geri's own ransacked place. At 1.30pm Geri sent off Robbie's driver to pick up her puppy. 
Then, after returning to her hotel yesterday, she went flat-hunting in the Notting Hill Gate and Victoria areas. She was dressed in her newly-bought short skirt, spikey-heeled yellow boots and floppy hat. A friend said Geri, who also spent an hour in the gym, had "the best tonic of all" when she found Robbie had dropped everything to cheer her up. The pal added: "That's the sort of guy he is." 
Robbie is believed to have flown back out of the country yesterday. 
Geri Halliwell was out and about last night at trendy London restaurant, Momo to premiere the video for It's Raining Men, which is featured on the soundtrack to the forthcoming Bridget Jones's Diary movie, and to play several new album tracks to members of the press. Geri arrived with her best friend of the moment ... not Robbie Williams but her two year-old Shi-tzu, Harry.
We can report that Geri's new album, entitled Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, is full of dance pop tunes and is very '80s influenced. First track It's Raining Men introduces an album all about and inspired by having fun, what Geri's always been best at! The £250,000 video for It's Raining Men, inspired by hit movies Fame and Flashdance, sticks with the '80s theme with Geri donning legwarmers and a skimpy bra/knicker combo for the aerobics style dance routine.
Geri Halliwell has also been showing off her new ultra-thin figure in a photo shoot for Attitude magazine which goes on sale on Monday. In one of her most revealing interviews Geri tells the mag that she feels just like Bridget Jones and has loads of email love affairs. She also claims to have considered becoming a lesbian! 'I met these two girls at a party and they were both really beautiful,' she says. 'I was fascinated with the idea of whether it was easier to understand one another because they were both girls. I want to an all-girls school so obviously I questioned my sexuality many times if I thought, 'Oh God, she's so pretty.''
It's Raining Men is released on 30 April and the Bridget Jones's Diary soundtrack comes out on 16 April. Look out for more exclusive tracks from the soundtrack on worldpop tomorrow.

03.24.01 "IT WAS REALLY A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE" From The Mirror

Shaken Geri Halliwell felt a chill of horror as she looked at the devastation wreaked on her pounds 1million flat by cruel raiders. The place had been trashed, with drinks hurled over the floor, leading the former Spice Girl to fear she had been targeted by a crazed fan. Speaking for the first time of her nightmare Geri, 28, said: "I felt so violated by it. It was a truly terrifying experience. At first, I thought the washing machine had exploded. Then my heart dropped when I realised what had happened. You never think it will happen to you. But after I thought about it I decided it could have been so much worse - I could have been in the flat when the thieves broke in. I'm so grateful that I wasn't." 
Geri discovered the chaos after arriving back at her rented flat in London's Notting Hill with two friends on Sunday night. The raiders, who got past CCTV cameras and a burglar alarm, fled with pounds 4,000 of electrical equipment and valuable jewellery. Geri - later described by a source as a "scared woman" - was left so upset she has hired ex-SAS trooper Steve Marshall as a bodyguard. 
She has refused to return to the flat and is staying at a hotel. Speaking to 3am at a West End restaurant, she said: "You can have a pity day about these things, but then you just have to move on. In some ways it was really funny, because the day before my friend had had her purse stolen. I said to her 'It could have been so much worse, you could have been robbed or burgled'. Then it happened to me." 
Geri, who had returned from a trip abroad with Robbie Williams, is now hunting for a new home with increased security. She said: "It's all been a bit hectic, and I don't want to think about it too much. But, yes, I am looking for somewhere else. It's hard to find somewhere that you really like and can call home." 
Bubbly Geri had invited us for a sneak preview of her new album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. Congratulating us on our Mirror gossip column, she said: "It's great that it's girls doing it now. It's really nice to meet you." 
Lounging around on a sofa in the downstairs bar of Momo's Restaurant, she then told us about the video to her new single It's Raining Men, theme to the Bridget Jones movie. We told her that the Flashdance-style promo in which Geri sports an amazingly toned physique was excellent and looked like it had been good fun to make. She replied: "I'm such a big girl, really. I saw Flashdance a few weeks before I did the video and decided to use some of the dance moves from the film for it. Also, I just wanted an excuse to wear leg warmers! All girls love wearing leg warmers." Geri told us she was stunned when movie bosses asked her to record the single for the Bridget Jones film. 
She said: "I usually write my own stuff. But then they approached me and I couldn't believe it was being handed to me on a plate. I love the song and have read both the Bridget Jones books. You'll love the movie. It's a great girls' film." 
Getting all girlie on us, she went on to tell us how she likes to relax at home with her friends. Geri said: "I'm going to let you into a secret. You know how you have the Sunday night blues because you're going to work the next day. Well, I do this thing called the SSS. It stands for Sunday Serenity Sisterhood. You have your favourite girlfriends over, get a video and just veg out. Me and my friends like to make beaded belly bracelets. It certainly gets rid of the blues." 
Geri then asked if we had watched the Raw Spice documentary, screened on Wednesday night. She said: "I didn't know it was going to be on. Then I watched it and it brought back loads of memories. It was a real trip down memory lane, reminding me of all the hopes and dreams I had then, and of the old days that we enjoyed together." 
Geri then gave us some advice on how to look your best in photos. She said: "I'll tell you a secret from a friend of mine so you don't look like you've got a false smile in pictures. All you do is let out a big sigh." 
Then she added "Let's try it now," as we posed for our pictures with her. At the end, Geri insisted we meet her little dog Harry. She told us: "He's such a showbiz dog - he loves being in pictures. He'll love it here.""

03.24.01 IT'S RAINING MEN VIDEO 

HERE'S Geri Halliwell in her new video - looking a shadow of her former self. Gone are the sexy curves that made her the most voluptuous Spice Girl. In their place, as our exclusive pictures show, is the lean, muscular body of a work-out fanatic. 
The video features a raunchy dance number which highlights Geri's new ultra-toned tummy, bony rib-cage and angular hips. The 28-year-old singer put herself through weeks of training to get the look she wanted for the video for new single It's Raining Men. The ?50,000 film - inspired by Eighties movie Fame - starts with Geri auditioning in front of stern judges at a performing arts school. She strips down to the decade's infamous workout uniform of black knickers, crop top and leg-warmers. Then she breaks into the steamy routine that actress Jennifer Beals wowed audiences with in the film Flashdance. 
Geri is then seen in various Fame-style classes, including ballet. The final scene is inspired by the opening to Fame, where hundreds of people dance in the street and on the tops of cars. It starts raining but Geri is seen enjoying herself too much to care about being soaked. Geri said: "The video was brilliant to make. It is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Fame, which was always one of my favourite shows." A pal said: "Geri had a month of gruelling training to do this video and it took two, long days to shoot. It has brilliant Eighties nostalgia value and will be one of the videos of the year." Geri recorded Raining - originally a hit for roly-poly duo the Weather Girls - after being asked by the producers of the new Bridget Jones Diary film. 
She said: "It's a really liberating song which makes you want to get up and dance." The song, out on April 30, will be the first track released from Geri's second solo album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, which is due for release in May. AS Ginger Spice, Geri was sexy and vibrant - all thanks to her amazing Marilyn Monroe-esque curves. The splendid bosoms that spilled over that famous Union Jack dress and those undulating lips were the essence of womanhood and both men and women thought she looked great. 
Now Geri is half the woman she was - and, in my view, half as sexy. The ultra-flat stomach, reed-thin arms and legs which stick out of her red Fame T-shirt aren't her natural shape. They are the result of a punishing daily yoga workout and a draconian diet that is about as interesting as eating cardboard. It is a huge shame that Geri has joined the the growing number of female celebrities who now calorie count so severely that they resemble lollipops - big heads on stick-like bodies with all the sex appeal of a stick of seaside rock. The average British woman is a size 16 with the wobbly bits that make men go weak at the knees. Let's hope Geri realises this, orders a huge pizza and gives us back the curvier, sexier star we prefer.

03.24.01 IT'S RAINING MEN 30 SECONDS PREVIEW AND INFO ABOUT THE ALBUM

We've got a 30-second clip of Geri's new song It's raing men which is due to be out on April 30. Thanks to GeriNetwork. Click Here To Download! All you need is Real Player

Geri's album is going to be out in May nad it's called Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. Geri said in an interview that she's very proud with the album. Some other tracks in the album include Circles round the moon and Feels like sex

03.24.01 GERI WILL NEVER RETURN TO THE BURGLED HOME

Geri is househunting after insisting she will never return to her burgled flat. Geri says she's too scared to go back after the £80,000 robbery and has immediately hired a new minder. The weekend raid has left the pop star terrified of being on her own in case the burglars return. And she is determined to move - even though it will mean an end to living just round the corner from boyfriend Robbie Williams in London's Notting Hill. 
Last night a source close to the singer claimed: "Geri's been left completely devastated by all this and just cannot face going back. She was overjoyed at finding the flat because it was so close to Robbie, but that's all been ruined now. Who knows what the future will hold, but at this moment she's said she doesn't want to go back because she doesn't feel safe and is terrified the raiders might return. 
"She was very happy there but feels these burglars have spoiled it and feels creepy about having strangers going through her possessions. Geri feels her privacy and safety have been compromised and she'll have to find somewhere else to live." 
Last night Geri's spokesman laughed off the suggestion that the former Ginger Spice would move in with Robbie, who shares his luxury home with boyhood pal and fellow singer Jonathan Wilkes. He said: "Geri's still coming to terms with what happened and there are lots of things to sort out before a decision is made. Of course she's upset, as anyone who has been burgled would be. The police were adamant there was nothing sinister. They believe the intruders had no idea whose flat they were going into. 
"When they found a few personal items it suddenly registered whose home they were in. We're obviously carrying out a full security review." 
The security-conscious star, who also has a £2.5 million mansion in Berkshire, has expressed concern that the address of the flat is now widely known. Workmen and decorators have been busy cleaning the flat and re-securing it. And Geri immediately took on a minder who has worked for her previously. A pal said: "Geri decided to really increase her personal security in light of the burglary. 
"That's led to her hiring a new bodyguard, just to make sure she's safe."

03.24.01 GERI HIRED A BODYGUARD.

Geri Halliwell has hired a burly bodyguard after the burglary on her luxury flat. Ex-SAS soldier and former policeman Steve Marshall was signed up by the singer who is determined to step up her personal security. A source close to the star said: "She's a scared woman at the moment and is willing to do anything to protect her personal safety." 
Geri, 28, moved into a pounds 1,200-a-night hotel suite following the raid in which jewellery and computer gear worth pounds 80,000 were stolen. She fears returning to the pounds 1million flat which she rents in Notting Hill, West London. Thieves got past CCTV cameras and a burglar alarm on Sunday night while Geri was in Paris with Robbie Williams. Her pop star pal, who lives nearby, has been comforting her. The thieves' haul included a diamond necklace that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor. 
Ex-Spice Girl Geri feared the raid was the work of an crazed fan. But police think the intruders had no idea of the resident's identity. Geri's spokesman said: "She is naturally upset and is currently staying at a hotel while the property is being prepared."

03.24.01 GERI INSISTED SHE FELT FINE AFTER A MANIAC TRASHED HER FLAT

Singer Geri Halliwell smiles bravely as she leaves a hotel days after a maniac trashed her flat. Geri, 28, has moved into the posh Lanesborough Hotel in London - telling a pal she was too scared to go home. The star returned from a break with chum Robbie Williams to find intruders had scrawled on walls and stolen gems worth £80,000. 
But yesterday Geri insisted she felt "fine" as she strode out in a stunning purple coat. The ex-Spice Girl will stay at the hotel until her flat - which she rents in Notting Hill, West London, for £50,000 a year - is cleaned up.

03.24.01 GERI RECOVERS FOR PROMOTION BASH 

Geri Halliwell showed she's recovered from the trauma of having her flat trashed by burglars when she took her pet dog to a glitzy party. The former Spice Girl carried Harry, a two-year-old shih-tzu, into the Momo restaurant in west London for the bash to promote her new album. A gathering of showbiz commentators were given a glimpse of the video to her forthcoming single It's Raining Men. A number of tracks from her album Scream If You Wanna Go Faster, which is due out in mid-May, were also played. A spokesman for the singer said Harry didn't have anything to eat but was treated to a bowl of water. Halliwell stayed at a hotel after her flat was raided by burglars. Intruders sprayed drinks around the west London property and fled with a diamond necklace which once belonged to Dame Liz Taylor.

03.23.01 GERI FEELS FEAR TO BACK 

Geri Halliwell is said to be devastated after thieves broke into her plush west London home and smothered it with blackcurrant juice. Halliwell was clearly upset as she left her London hotel yesterday. The pop star has moved into a four-star hotel room in London's Hyde Park Corner area since her first-floor flat was trashed by a burglar while she enjoyed a weekend in Holland with Robbie Williams. Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been done and property, including a computer and jewellery, was stolen. The flat was also doused in milk and blackcurrant juice by the intruder. Friends say Geri has vowed not to return to the £50,000 a-year-flat. 

03.23.01 GERI AND MEL GO AT IT From Megastar

HOT heads Mel B and Geri Halliwell turn the air blue during a bust-up in a rehearsal room. 
The fist-shaking row took place two years before the Spice Girls enjoyed their first hit. 
And it was a sign of trouble ahead between the two wannabe singers, both hungry for fame. 
The pictures are taken from explosive fly-on-the-wall footage the group tried to ban. ITV will screen the controversial documentary - which was filmed in 1994 - tomorrow at 8pm. 
Raw Spice - The Spice Girls Before Brides, Babies and Bust-Ups, is an hour-long feast for fans containing material which is sure to be even more shocking. 
It reveals the extent of the power-struggle between Scary and Ginger over the group's direction and who'll be top dog - a tussle which ended in Geri's departure. 
Last week MegaStar told exclusively how the film revealed Posh Spice's one-time crush on David Beckham's team-mate Ryan Giggs. 
A source, who has seen the final cut of the programme, said: "In light of this unseen footage, Geri's departure really was inevitable, as the two struggle to dominate the band and the direction in which their music will go." 
In the scene, Mel B and Geri, both just 19, flare up during rehearsals. Victoria, Emma and Mel C look on bewildered as the two argue. 
Scary screams: "You really spoilt that harmony line. You need to concentrate - you can get your timing right if you concentrate." 
Geri shouts back: "All right - I made a mistake, but you made a big one earlier." 
A music industry source said: "This is the Spice Girls' worst nightmare. 
"They were far from being the finished article at the time - just a bunch of hopefuls with stars in their eyes. It shows that they really were the original Popstars." 

03.23.01 MORE ABOUT THE SPICE DOCUMENTARY From Yahoo

Spice documentary shows Geri's early passion for Robbie. Geri Halliwell will reveal Robbie Williams was her teen idol in a documentary showing the Spice Girls before they were famous. Viewers will see a young Geri joking she had bought a pair of roller blades to go skating with the then Take That star. 
Raw Spice shows the five girls living together in a house in Maidenhead. Victoria accuses the other girls of burning a poster of her idol Ryan Giggs, while Mel C shows off her poster of Take That. Mel B and Geri agree they are the two most dominant members of the group and it can lead to a lot of conflict. During a rehearsal Mel B accuses Geri of spoiling their vocals and doing a silly pose. 

03.23.01 GERI'S HOME RANSACKED From Ananova

Geri Halliwell has fled her flat in fear, after a burglar broke in and scrawled obscenities on the walls. 
The singer returned to her west London home, after a weekend away, to find it had been ransacked and many of her personal belongings stolen, the Sun reports. 
She has moved into a hotel because she is afraid to be alone. 
A Metropolitan Police source confirmed Ms Halliwell's property had been attacked but refused to go into details. 
The Sun says Ms Halliwell's flat had been covered in milk and Ribena by the intruder. 
An obscene message was scrawled across a wall, her personal computer had been taken and a necklace, once owned by actress Elizabeth Taylor was missing, the Sun said. 
It estimated the items stolen were worth £80,000. She pays £50,000 a year in rent for the flat. 

03.22.01 TV SHOW REVEALS STRUGGLE POWER STRUGGLE From Ananova

A rift between Geri Halliwell and Mel B will be revealed in a new TV documentary about the Spice Girls. 
Raw Spice will be shown on ITV at 8pm on Wednesday. 
The band were unhpapy about it being shown. 
It will include footage of the girls living together in a semi-detached house in Maidenhead before they were famous. 
A Yorkshire Televison spokeswoman says: "It offers a fascinating insight into their personalities, dreams, what they thought of each other, and the group dynamics. 
"Even after a couple of months there are signs of an early power struggle between Geri and Mel B as their dominating characters lead to arguments and tensions. 
"And a young pre-makeover Victoria reveals she had a crush on a Manchester United player - Ryan Giggs. " 
An extended version of Raw Spice with more than 20 minutes of unbroadcast footage will also be available to buy on video and DVD from March 26. 

03.22.01 GERI SHOWS A FINE WAY TO KEEP YOUR DIGNITY From Sunday Mirror

WHEN Jack Straw's car was stopped by police doing 112mph his excuse was he thought he was escaping from a security threat. 
When Princess Anne - fined pounds 400 last week for speeding - got caught she said she thought the police car chasing her was actually waiting to escort her home. 
The two of them - who should be ashamed of such a pathetic, uninspired defence - should have done what Geri Halliwell did last week. 
She turned up in court looking like a million dollars, offered no silly excuses for doing 60mph in a 30 limit, and told the magistrates she was sorry. 

03.22.01 GERI AND MELANIE B TO APPEAR IN THE SAME CONCERT From Worldpop

Geri Halliwell and Mel B are set to meet up next month when they appear on the same bill at a children's charity concert in Manchester.The stars will both perform at a fundraising event at Manchester's MEN Arena. The event has been set up by local Manchester radio stations Key 103 and Magic 1152 in aid of the charity, Manchester Kids. The bill will also feature Atomic Kitten, Five, a1, Damage, Artful Dodger and BB Mak but Geri will be billed as the headline act at the gig which takes place on 27 April while Mel B will be the first act to appear on the night. 
Tickets are priced between 163;12.50 - 163;25.00The last time Geri appeared on the same bill as Mel B was at last year's Brit awards when Geri performed Bag It Up underneath a pair of giant inflatable legs and the Spice Girls picked up an Oustanding Contribution gong. 

03.22.01 GERI IS IN SHOCK BECAUSE OF THE BURGLARS From Megastar

Geri Halliwell was in shock last night after burglars trashed her home and stole jewellery and personal items worth up to £80,000. They bypassed four security locks on the front door to the firstfloor flat in London's trendy Notting Hill - then they sneaked past CCTV cameras and a burglar alarm before looting it. Geri was in Paris when the thieves burst in and snatched tens of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery - including a diamond ring worth more than £20,000 - and other personal possessions. 
The thugs wrecked the place, pouring thick blackcurrant juice over walls and carpets then trashing fixtures and fittings. Geri's new personal computer and stereo equipment are also missing. Police were worried that the stolen computer could be a threat to the ex-Spice Girl's security. But late last night sources close to her said no information had been stored on it. 
The thugs caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to carpets, furniture and other fittings when they callously sprayed sticky blackcurrant fruit juice all around the flat in trendy W11 - home to many showbiz and media stars. Geri, 28, was in France attending a glitzy showbiz bash when the looters burst into the rented flat. Her house-keeper discovered the mess when she arrived to do some cleaning on Monday, it was believed last night. 
Shocked Geri is currently staying at the luxury Lanesborough Hotel in London's West End until the damaged door is fixed and the mess cleared up. The raiders managed to break through the heavy security door even though it has four tough locks. They also sneaked past two CCTV cameras on the front of the building. At first it was feared the break-in was the work of a maniac stalker obsessed with the former Ginger Spice. But last night that claim was dismissed by sources close to the singer. 
Her spokesman Jonathan Hackford said: "Police believe there is nothing sinister about the break-in. It looks as if it was a simple burglary. The raiders didn't even know who lived in the flat until they were inside. Naturally Geri is very upset, as anyone would be when they are burgled, but she's coping fine. She is staying in a hotel until the mess is cleared up and the damage is repaired. I don't know when she will return to the flat. It's in such an appalling mess." 
The singer started renting the flat a few months ago - and it's believed the landlord has given her an option to buy the place if she enjoys living there. Apart from the swanky restaurants that attract the rich and famous like Madonna to Notting Hill the flat has an added attraction. It is just 200 metres from her "boyfriend" Robbie Williams' home. 
Geri, said to be worth around £20million, also owns a £2.5million mansion in Berkshire. But burglars beware - it has a state-of-the-art security system and an eight-foot high security fence around the three-acre grounds. Last night neither local police or the Scotland Yard press office could confirm the break-in. A spokesman said: "We have no details at this stage."

03.22.01 GERI'S HOUSE WAS BURGLED ON SUNDAY From The Sun

Terrified singer Geri Halliwell has fled her flat after a maniac broke in and trashed it. The intruder Scrawled obscenities on the walls, ransacked the star's personal belongings and swiped her computer. Geri, 28, broke down sobbing when she returned to London and discovered the chaos after a weekend abroad with chart king Robbie Williams. As well as wrecking her home, the nut stole treasured items including a necklace once owned by film star Liz Taylor. 
Last night Geri - who has been plagued by stalkers - was holed up in a hotel. A friend said: "Geri is so freaked out about what happened that she hasn't been able to sleep properly. She is worried there may be something more sinister involved in the incident. It didn't seem like a straightforward burglary. Whoever broke in left the money which was stashed in the flat - and went for personal items of jewellery instead. The door to the flat looked like it had been forced but no one is sure exactly what happened yet. 
"Geri lives on her own. She was too scared to spend the night there in case whoever it was came back." 
The singer was greeted by the outrage when she arrived home on Sunday. She had spent a weekend in Holland with fellow chartbuster Robbie - who millions saw her hug when he was named Best British Male at last month's Brit Awards. Furnishings at the flat had been splattered with milk and ribena. And Geri's stereo was gone - along with her computer and other electrical gear. The stolen items are worth thousands of pounds. 
The intruder is also believed to have rifled through personal photos showing Geri with pop pal George Michael. Geri pays £50,000 a year to rent the flat in a Georgian townhouse in West London - just yards from Robbie's own. The beauty beefed up security at her other home - a mansion near Slough, Berks - after being targeted by stalkers. One nut kept sending her warped letters and bombarding her record company with bizarre calls. 
The obsessed fan - known only as Mr Stone - also began showing up whenever Geri made personal appearances. He told EMI bosses he was in love with the singer. And he accused them of not doing enough to boost her career. In one sinister letter, he warned: "I am the biggest Geri Halliwell fan on planet Earth and I get very passionate and upset when, through no fault of hers, mistakes are made." 
Worried Geri immediately revamped security at her £2million mansion. It is now protected by massive steel gates, razor wire and CCTV cameras. Geri is the most successful of the Spice Girls after amassing an estimated £20million fortune. But she chose to rent the £600,000 flat in West London. Last night it was revealed she will still have to fork out rent for the rest of the year even if she never uses it again. 
The friend said: "She's saying at the moment that she feels too scared to go back there and she's frightened of being alone. She has no idea whether the person who broke in is one of her stalkers, one of Robbie's or just a thief. But she doesn't want to take any chances and is making sure she has someone with her at all times." The insider added: "Geri has taken this really badly. She is used to being followed everywhere because she has been in the spotlight for such a long time. But this has really shaken her up." 
A spokesman for Geri confirmed the break-in last night. The aide said: "Geri was burgled on Sunday. A number of personal items were taken."

03.22.01 GERI'S LONDON HOUSE WAS ROBBED From The telegraph

The London home of Geri Halliwell, the former Spice Girl, has been burgled, police confirmed last night. The flat in Portland Road, Notting Hill, was reportedly ransacked and obscenities were scrawled on walls. Items reported stolen included her computer and a necklace that once belonged to the actress Elizabeth Taylor. The intruder also ruined furniture by pouring blackcurrant juice and milk over it. 
Miss Halliwell, who has been stalked in the past, was said to be staying at a West End hotel last night. She discovered the burglary when she returned home on Sunday from a weekend overseas. The singer was renting the first-floor property.

03.22.01 THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SPICE GIRLS TO BE SHOWN ON VIDEO From Worldpop

Video footage of the Spice Girls, shot in 1994 before they were famous is due to be screened on ITV on Wednesday. The revealing film shows Geri, Mel B, Mel C, Victoria and Emma sharing a house in Maidenhead, Berks when they were being groomed for stardom. In the film the girls are shown arguing at rehearsals. The power struggle between Geri Halliwell and Mel B is already evident. 
'I'm the brains behind the group,' says Geri on film. 'Without me they are nothing. I'm quite a motivated person. I just want to get there. I'm hungry for fame and want my ego fed. Mel B and I are the most dominant people in the group. We have a love-hate relationship.' 
Mel B adds: 'We've got two strong characters in the group, me and Geri. We do have really bad arguments, with swearing and things flying. It can get really nasty at times.' 
In the film Victoria is shown sticking Ryan Giggs posters on her bedroom wall and Geri is filmed eating her way through an entire range of Pot Noodles. The film captures the girls when they were living on a weekly wage from manager Chris Herbert (who now manages Hear'Say) and their dole cheques. An extended video of tomorrow's documentary with extra footage, will be released on 26 March.

03.22.01 GERI TO RELEASE HEALTH BOOK From People News

Geri Halliwell is to disclose the secret of her fantastic physique in a new fitness and beauty book, PeopleNews can reveal. The former Spice Girl was the envy of millions of women when she first revealed her beautifully honed shape on holiday in France with Robbie Williams last year, and then again at the Brit awards last month. Halliwell's toned body - the result of a strict diet and rigorous regime of yoga and other exercise - has attracted plaudits in the media, who used to dismiss her as a pudding in a miniskirt. Now the 28-year-old unmarried singer plans to reveal just how she achieved her washboard tummy and whippet-thin waistline in a new health and beauty book. A source close to the singer says: 'Geri's had a number of approaches about writing a health and beauty book for women and is very keen to do it. It's just a question of finding the time. It will be a book that stresses the importance of combining a good diet with yoga or other exercise - not like those outdated fitness videos by people like Anthea Turner.' Halliwell is keen to follow up on the success of her autobiography, If Only, which is currently being serialised by a Sunday newspaper in the UK. A senior publishing source said the fitness bible was certain to be a bestseller. Her success has already started to rub off on her friend Robbie Williams, who has shed pounds and is looking 'his best in years.' 

03.20.01 GERI SHOULD APOLOGISE TO THE CRIME VICTIM 

Geri Halliwell should apologise for handling stolen goods when she was a teenager, her victim believes. Elizabeth Barseghian called the former Spice Girl arrogant for saying her offences were "minor." Geri admitted handling stolen property in 1990 when she was 17 years old. Geri said: "I got into wrong company and I made some stupid mistakes. It led to me ending up in court and also being convicted. "The offences were relatively minor but that's often the way it begins." Barseghian, 45, told the Sunday Mirror: "Thousands of fans look up to Geri and think she is a wonderful person. But I don't call it minor handling a stolen cheque-book and cards. "Criminals always think their actions are minor but what about the victims? I had to suffer. It was me who had my bag stolen. It wasn't just my cheque-book and cards. "There was a photo of my baby boy Sam and a diary. Things like that can never be replaced. I had to change all the locks in my house because my keys were in my bag. "I also lost my diary with all my phone numbers and personal details. I felt as if someone had rummaged through my life and violated it. "It was a horrible feeling. She was carrying my chequebook and credit cards knowing they were stolen. She should apologise to me."

03.20.01 GERI TO PERFORM IN CONCERT 

Following the success of last years Music For Life show, the Manchester Evening News Arena is set to host a similar event this year entitled Feel The Noise Live 2001. The event will take place on Friday 27th April and will feature a host of hot pop acts including Geri Halliwell, 5ive, A1, Dane Bowers and Architechs so it's set to be a hot seller. Tickets are on sale now.

03.20.01 WIN GERI'S TOP

Here is the chance for one lucky reader to win the butterfly top Geri Halliwell designed to wear at this year's Brit Awards. Just ring 09015 613102 and leave your name, address and phone number. Calls cost 60p a minute. Lines close on Monday at midnight, when a winner will be chosen at random. 

03.18.01 Robbie feal great... thanks Geri From Megastar

Robbie Williams is on the biggest health kick of his stormy career - and it's all down to his "guardian angel" Geri Halliwell. The 28-year-old chart-topper showed off his amazing new slimline look at a concert in Austria after telling pals: "I'm feeling the best I've been for years." 
And though his newly chiselled frame may have shocked some fans in the middle of his European tour, most of the audience approved. One said: "Robbie is pounds lighter and his clothes were hanging off him. But he was on top form and seemed chuffed." 
MegaStar can reveal that Robbie's stunning new physique is sweetheart Geri's idea. As we told last month, the former Ginger Spice has been helping Robbie to beat his booze and drugs problems once and for all. Geri, 28, lost her own chubbiness through exercise and healthy eating - and she's brought that influence to bear on him. 
A pal of the couple revealed: "Geri's lifestyle has rubbed off on Robbie. She's keeping him on the straight and narrow and has been encouraging him to cut out junk food and start eating lots of salads. Now the weight is just dropping off him." 
Since moving into her rented flat in Holland Park, west London - just a stone's throw from Robbie's house - Geri has run six miles a day and practised yoga. Although Robbie has yet to join her on the jogs, he now has a fitness trainer. And he says he's enjoying his current tour - which hits Britain in the summer - more than any other. It is a remarkable turnaround. At the Q Awards Robbie - once labelled by Noel Gallagher "The Fat Dancer from Take That" - Robbie looked much heavier. 
But since he collapsed at a party following the MTV Europe awards, he has again quit boozing. With Geri's help, his life is now a slim line success. 

03.18.01 MORE ON PARTY GERI ATTENDED

OF course, while Labour remains in Government, at least we can look forward to progress. You know, 
'...and finally, Your Majesty, a map of Yugoslavia.' 
modernising the state and updating the old institutions so the rest of Europe can learn from our example. 
And what better example of the latter than Yugoslavia which, The Times sympathetically reveals, has reinstated its royal family. 
After more than 50 years in exile, Crown Prince Alexander was at Claridges (a fitting venue for anyone of blue blood) yesterday to celebrate the restoration of his citizenship. 
You may have thought that on such an emotional occasion the Yugoslav's ability to express himself in English was weak. But an education at Gordonstoun, Millfield and a stint at Sandhurst gives him the perfect credentials to speak like a royal. 
"I am going home," cried the Prince, having spent most of his life in Britain. Now if the Prince of Wales expressed similar sentiments, there'd naturally be an outcry - in Germany. 
But no such luck. According to The Telegraph, Charles is hobbling around the social circuit better than ever. 
Last night he celebrated the 25th anniversary of The Prince's Trust - an organisation devoted to helping disadvantaged young people. 
Attending the shindig at St James' Palace were, among others, Geri Halliwell, Cat Deeley and Joely Richardson. Geri Halliwell disadvantaged we can understand, but young...? 

03.16.01 GERI BANNED FROM DRIVING From The Sun

Singer Geri Halliwell was banned from driving for six weeks yesterday after her lawyer told JPs: "She's very, very sorry." 
The former Spice Girl admitted doing 60mph in a 30mph zone after a speed camera snapped her £90,000 Aston Martin DB7. Geri - who had a clean licence - asked NOT to be given star treatment. Magistrates heard the 28-year-old blonde had said: "I just deserve to be treated like anyone else." 

Wearing a cream leather coat and boots, Geri bowed her head as the court heard she was caught near her mum's home in Watford, Herts. Her solicitor Nicola-Jane Taylor said Geri, a UN goodwill ambassador, had "no excuses." Ms Taylor said: "She understands the gravity. She puts herself in your hands and expects justice to be meted out to her." During a break Geri smiled, signed autographs and waved to the press. 
Giving his verdict, Magistrate Michael Moore said: "Miss Halliwell, you accept that you were driving at a very high speed in a built-up area. We are going to disqualify you for 42 days." 
Geri said: "Thank you very much." 
Guidelines dictate a ban of 42 to 56 days - or up to six points on the driver's licence. Geri was also fined £400 and £35 costs. The Sun yesterday told how Princess Anne had been fined £400 and got five points for her fourth speeding offence - doing 93mph in a 70mph zone. Asked how she felt outside court, Geri pulled a face and sarcastically said: "Great." 
The star pleaded guilty in writing last month but Watford JPs ordered her to appear in person. Her ban comes days after Geri admitted she was a teenage shoplifter.

03.16.01 GERI IN COURT From Sky News

Geri Halliwell stole the show in court on Wednesday - despite being banned from driving for six weeks. The former Spice Girl arrived at Watford Magistrates court wearing a long, cream leather coat over a tiny mini skirt, and matching spike-heeled boots. She then proceeded to wrap what appeared to be the entire courtroom around her little finger. 
Even prosecutor Mike Dunne admitted she looked great. "Not that I was looking but Geri was wearing a very short mini skirt under her coat," he said. And his praise for the 28-year-old singer did not stop there. "I think she handled it very well by offering no mitigation," he said. "It's the best thing to do in the circumstances. Admitting she should have known better." 

Geri was banned from driving for 42 days and fined £400 after being clocked in Watford doing 60mph in a 30mph limit in her Aston Martin on October 31 last year. She pleaded guilty in writing but magistrates in Watford, Herts, insisted that she appear in person for sentence. 

Geri spoke in a quiet voice to confirm her real name - Geraldine Estelle Halliwell. She also confirmed her address was in Slough, Berkshire. Geri accepted "the gravity" of the offence and was "very, very sorry", said defence counsel Nicola-Jane Taylor. "Miss Halliwell offers no excuses to this court, in short there are no mitigating circumstances I will be putting to you," Ms Taylor said. 

"She puts herself in your hands for justice to be meted out to her. She expects to be treated in exactly the same manner as any member of the public and to be admonished by this Bench. She is very, very sorry for this offence of which she makes no excuses." 

But the cheeky star could not resist smiling at the magistrates' bench and giving them a little wave after sentence was passed. "Thank you. Have a nice day. Goodbye," she said, before leaving the court. She made no comment to waiting journalists and was driven away in a silver Mercedes.

03.16.01 GERI ADMITTED DRIVING AT 60MPH From Ananova

Halliwell, 28, admitted driving at 60mph in a 30mph zone in her Aston Martin DB7 on the A411 towards Watford, Hertfordshire, on October 31 last year. The former Spice Girl, who appeared before Watford Magistrates under her full name of Geraldine Estelle Halliwell, said she accepted the gravity of the offence and was "very, very sorry". She was also ordered to pay £35 in costs. 
After sentence was passed, Ms Halliwell smiled at the magistrates' bench, gave a little wave and said: "Thank you.Have a nice day. Goodbye."

03.16.01 GERI SENTENCED FOR SPEEDING From BBC

Geri will this morning be sentenced for speeding on 31 October last year. She pleaded guilty in February to driving her Aston Martin at twice the speed limit of 30 mph in Watford, Hertfordshire. Halliwell is appearing in the Watford court under her full name, Geraldine Estelle Halliwell, after magistrates insisted she appear in person for sentencing. 
The maximum sentence for speeding is a term of disqualification, a fine of £2,500 and the requirement to retake a driving test. Halliwell, 28, part of sensational pop act the Spice Girls from 1996 until May 1998, has also had three number one hits under her own name.

03.16.01 GERI WOULD BE BANNED IN AMERICA FOR HER PAST From The Mirror

Geri's decision to disclose details of her shady past as a warning to errant kids may have more repercussions than she bargained for. We can reveal that the former Spice Girl now faces a lifetime ban from America thanks to strict US rules on who can enter God's own country. Ex-Big Breakfast star Johnny Vaughan is not allowed to set foot in the States because he served a two-year jail sentence for cocaine possession. And now 28-year-old Geri could be joining Johnny in exile. Officials at the American Embassy in London indicated yesterday that they want to interview Geri to decide whether her convictions for shoplifting,theft and handling stolen goods mean she should be banned. 
A US spokesman told us: "Anyone convicted of a crime has to come in and be interviewed by the embassy. It's a misconception that the US has a blanket ban on all visitors with criminal convictions. We do have room for flexibility. But if someone has convictions they have to see us before they travel to America." 

A ban would come as a tremendous blow to Geri, who loves the States and spends much of her time there. For most of last year she was in Los Angeles - where she often stays at the home of close friend George Michael and his partner Kenny Goss - working on her new album. It was there that she took refuge after her shock departure from the Spice Girls in May 1998. She has also visited Hollywood with her chum Robbie Williams - even waiting patiently outside while he attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Geri's American dream has also encompassed trips to New York as a British "ambassador" for the United Nations' Population Fund. 

Geri's convictions came when, as a 17-year-old, she appeared at Bow Street Magistrates in 1990. At the weekend the former teen rebel blamed her crimes on falling in with the wrong crowd after a boyfriend led her astray. In a gripping interview she patted herself on the back for getting on the straight and narrow. 

03.16.01 GERI IN PRINCE'S TRUST From The Sun

Geri Halliwell, 28, wears a plunging silver dress to a London dinner to mark 25 years of Prince Charles' charity The Prince's Trust. 
She certainly managed to look lovely jubilee. 

03.16.01 GERI WAS A SHOPLIFTER From Megastar

Geri spent three months agonising over whether to reveal her secret shoplifting conviction. Yesterday, she confessed she had picked up a criminal record for theft, shoplifting and handling stolen goods as a teenager. And she eventually decided to lift the lid on her criminal past as a warning to deprived kids she is helping through Comic Relief. Last night as Geri won praise from leading children's campaigner Esther Rantzen, one of her pals revealed: "This has been going on for two or three months. Geri wanted to do what she could to help the kids but it was a big step for her. We're all really proud of her." 
Ever since she shot to fame with the Spice Girls in 1996, the UN Goodwill Ambassador had kept her past private. And her appearance in front of London's Bow Street magistrates on November 21 1990 wasn't even mentioned in her autobiography, If Only, published 18 months ago. The former Ginger Spice began thinking about lifting the lid on her past when she spent last Christmas Day at The Kids Company in south London. And she came clean about her life as a 17year-old tearaway yesterday to help Comic Relief and The Kids Company, which offers a lifeline to vulnerable youngsters. 
Esther, founder of Childline, said last night: "The crucial thing for young people is that they don't give up hope. The dreadful thing about crime is that it does become a habit and an addiction. Geri has showed that she gave up crime, but she didn't give up hope. She has shown youngsters they can work their way to success and happiness and leave crime behind them." A Comic Relief spokeswoman said last night: "We'd like to thank Geri for speaking out in the hope it will help others. It can't have been easy to speak out about something so private." 

03.16.01 GERI INFLATABLE LEGS TO BE AUCTIONED From Funk fashion News

Geri Halliwell's inflatable legs, which dominated her performance at last year's Brit Awards, are one of the more bizarre items donated to an auction of celebrity owned goodies. The auction, in association with Crusaid and heat magazine, takes place online at QXL from 14 March and money raised will be donated to Crusaid, the national fundraiser for AIDS relief and HIV awareness. 
Other more useful and wearable donations include Kate Moss' fringed suede Ungaro handbag, a black velvet bolero jacket worn on stage by Tom Jones and Zoe Ball's black lace Gucci top and Alexander McQueen trousers she wore to last year's Brits. 

03.16.01 GERI'S CRIMINAL PAST From News Of The World

Geri sat among 72 waifs and strays close to the spot where Damilola Taylor was murdered and, for a few hours, helped them escape a nightmare. It was Christmas Day and multi-millionaire Geri could have been anywhere in the world. Instead she chose lunch under the railway arches at The Kids Company, a charity she will support again this week through Comic Relief. But what they don't know is that 28-year-old Geri has a secret criminal record. 
And last night she bravely revealed the details to the News of the World as a warning to the neglected souls she has come to love. The UN goodwill ambassador and former Spice Girl has convictions for theft, shoplifting and handling stolen goods. But when she appeared in the dock before Bow Street magistrates on November 21, 1990, when she was just 17, she was listed on the charge sheet as Geraldine Estelle Halliwell. 

"It's not something I'm proud of," she exclusively told the News of the World. But if talking about it prevents one kid from making the same mistakes then it's got to be worth it. Too many lives are ruined, too many opportunities lost because of crime. I was able to stop myself and take my life into a more worthwhile direction. It could so easily have been different. I got into wrong company and I made some stupid mistakes. It led to me ending up in court and being convicted. The offences were relatively minor but that's often the way it begins. 
"It started with a shoplifting conviction but it could have developed into something far more serious. There are so many children out there right now who are about to make decisions that will change the course of their entire lives, youngsters who are on the bottom of the crime ladder. Instead of working their way up that ladder they need encouragement and help to get off it. It's through the help of organisations like The Kids Company that some of those lives can be saved." 
Geri well remembers her own life as a virtual latch-key kid on Watford's South Oxhey estate, then the largest council estate in Europe. She reveals in her autobiography, If Only: "As a child I used to go to my mother each day and ask her, Who's been the best girl today? I wanted her to say, You, Geri." Mum would leave the house at 6am to do her cleaning jobs while Geri's often-violent father would stay in bed. 
"I'd make my own breakfast then kneel on a stool at the kitchen sink, looking in a mirror and trying to get the bunches straight in my hair," she said. "I'd ask Dad, Do they look straight? and he'd grunt something unintelligible; if he wasn't still in the bathroom, clearing his throat and spitting into the sink." 
She'd make her own school lunch and try not to look at what treats her schoolfriends' mums had put in their packs, like crisps and Marathon bars. Treats were few and far between in the Halliwell house. Mum was a Jehovah's Witness who didn't celebrate Christmas or birthdays. And too often there was the threat of violence from Geri's father. 
"He'd pull his belt from his trousers and snap it through the air like a whip," she wrote. "As I lay hiding under the bed, I heard him shouting, Ready red legs, before he pulled me out and whipped me across the back of my thighs." 
Geri brought her past life back into the public arena when she admitted in her autobiography that, at 17, she'd "gone wild" and met a boy "from a rough family, one of the notorious criminal clans in South Oxhey." The boy was called Niamh and it was under his influence that Geri went off the rails. In her autobiography she describes meeting him in the Cafe de Paris and being immediately smitten by his George Michael looks. Niamh, she says, was always on the lookout for the next deal that might take him from life in South Oxhey. 
"If we'd stayed together, who knows what might have happened?" she admits in her book. "I went home fantasising about gangsters and their women. If he was Bugsy Malone, then I wanted to be his Tallulah. I also fantasised that we were like Bonnie and Clyde. The only certainty is that the ending wouldn't have been as glamorous as my Bonnie and Clyde show-reel." 
When her father finally threw her out of the house, she moved into a squat on the estate, breaking a window to get in. But after two months the council pinned a notice to the door. The words burned themselves into Geri's consciousness: "illegal occupation", "trespassing" and "eviction". Geri received a court summons and, while many squatters might simply move on and miss their date in the dock, she decided to face the music. 
She insisted she wasn't damaging the premises and asked to be allowed to stay. But she lost the case. The magistrate gave her two weeks to get out. And it was with this wealth of experience that Geri turned to The Kids Company to offer support. It offers a lifeline for needy and vulnerable children of all ages on the borders of Peckham and Camberwell. 
Founder Camila Batmanghelidjh, who worked with police on the Damilola Taylor murder investigation, said: "If people knew about the lives some children have and why they turn to gangs for solidarity, they'd be horrified. "We'd intended the service to cater for the under-11s. But on our opening around 100 African/Caribbean adolescent boys came to 'check us out'. 
"They were from gangs, they had weapons and enough anger and sarcasm to challenge all of us. Now we work with them to discover and nurture their talents and interests. Reached early, children's belief in tenderness and humanity can be restored." 
Camila founded the unique charity, paid for entirely by her own fund-raising, in 1996. It currently offers support to 1,600 children a week and occupies six brightly-painted railway arches. Its expert staff of 35 include three social workers, four specialist teachers, psychotherapists, a child psychiatrist, sports and arts teachers and volunteers. As well as being a free after-school club, The Kids Company also offers education to persistent truants so difficult that no conventional school will take them. 
"Within weeks of opening, children were waiting at the gates in the morning and didn't want to leave at night," said Camila. "Every day, between 40 and 150 children turn up. Most of them heard about us through friends." The Kids Company faces a constant struggle for funds and Geri is only too pleased to help.

03.08.01 CHARLES HOST BASH FOR GENEROUS CELEBRITIES From The Mirror

Prince Charles has invited more than 30 celebrities to an extraordinary private dinner party to say thank you for their charity work.
Sir Elton John, Mick Jagger, Geri Halliwell, Sting and Jerry Hall are on a guest list party organisers would kill for. Also invited are Stephen Fry, Dame Diana Rigg, actor Richard E Grant, England striker Emile Heskey and former boxer Frank Bruno.

03.08.01 GERI AND ROBBIE ARE IN THE FAMILY WAY From The Daily Star

Robbie Williams regards Geri Halliwell as a "big sister" and is looking forward to finding a girl he can settle down with.
Jonathan Wilkes, who is the ex-Take That star's lifelong best friend, has lifted the lid on Geri and Robbie's life together. Wilkes shares a flat with Robbie in London's trendy Notting Hill and says it is a case of "No Sex Please We're Brits Winners" when it comes to Geri and Robbie's relationship.
Far from the rumours of a love affair, he claims the three of them see each other as family.
The trio often spend time at the £1million flat, where they try to live like ordinary people. But Robbie is looking elsewhere to find the love of his life.
Jonathan said: "I know Geri's only little but she's become our big sister. Geri's ace and is a great girl. I've never met a girl with so much determination. She is round at our place all the time."
He insists the three of them drank tea and played cards after Robbie's triple Brits win last week.
Awards for Best Male Artist, Best Single and Best Video gongs brought Robbie's Brits tally to 12.
But instead of partying with his label EMI and other celebrities, Robbie joined Geri and Jonathan at home.
Geri, who stole the show at last year's awards night with a raunchy performance of her single Bag It Up, won Brits during her time with The Spice Girls.
Cards and chat
Jonathan added: "After the Brits we all went home, had a cup of tea and played a card game called Uno. It's fun. We just sat around playing Uno and chatted. We're all normal people and are all very similar."
Rumours of a romance between Robbie and Geri surfaced last summer when they were spotted on holiday together in St Tropez.
Jonathan said: "We all very busy lives and we've had some great holidays together. But that's as far as it goes."
Keen footballer Jonathan, who once had a trial with Everton, has taken up a pop career thanks to Robbie.
He released his debut single Just Another Day this week and is tipped for a chart placing on Sunday. But he admits that he couldn't have done it without Robbie's help.
He said: "You only get one friend like that in your life and I feel very lucky.
"Robbie just sits back and watches me like a proud best mate. Our friendship gets closer every day and we are really strong for each other.
"He will pick me up when I have a bad time and I do the same for him."

03.08.01 GERI'S DOGS LEFT OUT IN THE COLD From The Mirror

Being a pop star's pooch can be a dog's life - especially if your two-legged friend is Geri Halliwell.
The ex-Spice Girl turned up at Cliveden House - the famous venue of Tory MP John Profumo's swimming-pool romps with Christine Keeler - for Sunday lunch with two female friends.
While Geri tucked into a healthy salad, her pet Shitzus, Sadie and Harry, were left tied to a railing outside.
Within 20 minutes, Geri left, no doubt worried about the freezing conditions being stoically endured by her canine chums.
But her four-legged friends' misery didn't end there. They couldn't even go for walkies as foot and mouth had forced the closure of local footpaths.

03.07.01 GERI BANS ROBBIE 

Geri Halliwell is reported to have banned Robbie Williams from moving in to a Los Angeles bachelor pad. Robbie had planned to rent a mansion with Rod Stewart's stepson Ashley Hamilton. But the former Spice Girl says Ashley is a bad influence on Robbie. The pair met at an Alcoholics' Anonymous meeting . A source told the Daily Star: "Geri is adamant if Robbie shares a place in LA with anyone it will be her. "Geri's used to getting her own way."

03.06.01 IT'S RAINING MEN GERI! From The Sun

HERE'S Geri Halliwell giving it some belly in the video for her new single It's Raining Men. She goes totally Eighties for the film, donning tracksuit bottoms, biker jacket and fingerless gloves, as my exclusive snap shows. The promo pays tribute to the era of yuppies and dodgy haircuts through clothes, clichés and a storyline inspired by the popular Eighties TV show Fame. It even features a Leroy character plus an irritating troupe of actors dancing about on top of cars, echoing the series about a New York music and drama school. The song, released next month, is a remake of the Weather Girls' 1984 hit and features in the movie Bridget Jones' Diary, also out soon.

03.06.01 GERI WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER From Sunday Mirror

Looks like we'll soon be seeing Geri Halliwell in Lycra and leg warmers. She is planning a Kids From Fame-style video for her new single, a cover of It's Raining Men. 
She's even trying to track down the guy who played Leroy in the movie, Gene Anthony Ray, to star in it. 

03.06.01 SHELBY, ROBBIE, GERI ON 'BRIDGET' SOUNDTRACK

Shelby Lynne, Robbie Williams, Geri Halliwell, and Lucinda Williams have contributed tracks to the soundtrack of "Bridget Jones's Diary." The film, starring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant, hits theaters April 13; the Island soundtrack arrives April 3.
Robbie Williams turns in a cover of Frank Sinatra's "Have You Met Miss Jones?," while Halliwell offers her take on Weathergirls' "It's Raining Men." Lynne's "The Killing Kind" is tentatively set as the soundtrack's first single, while in the U.K., the first single will be Gabrielle's "Out Of Reach." Other acts appearing on the album include Texas, Rosey, and Tracy Bonham.
In the adaptation of Helen Fielding's best-selling book, Zellweger stars as a weight-obsessed English public relations specialist. To gain the substantial extra weight required by the role, the actress reportedly ate six pizzas, three candy bars, pasta, and peanut butter sandwiches every day.

03.01.01 ROBBIE CELEBRATED AWARD WITH GERI

ROBBIE WILLIAMS celebrated his record haul of Brits... by enjoying an early night with Geri Halliwell.
And she didn't leave his London pad till 10 the next morning.
In his dark drink and drug-hazed days Robbie would have partied till he dropped.
But this year - after scooping three Brit Awards - he remained stone cold sober and "chilled out" with a cup of tea and the woman he loves.
That's Geri, who quipped as she presented one of his trio of Brits: "According to the Press, he's been giving me one, so now it's my turn to give him one."
Robbie, 27, who has recently been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in Los Angeles accompanied by Geri, said: "I'm not going to any parties. 
"It's been a great night but I think the best thing for me to do is go straight home.
"A quiet night in is what I need and that's what I'm going to do."
He snubbed a string of glitzy after-show parties to take Geri to his Notting Hill home.
He invited her in for a "quick cup of tea" and she didn't emerge until 10am yesterday.
It's proof that the big romance between the king of pop and his queen is going strong and getting stronger every day.
Another sign of their growing love can be seen from the affectionate nicknames they've got for each other. 
Geri, 28, calls him Stinky Pete, because he is always breaking wind when they are together.
He refers to her as Reg, because he's always joking she looks like a man, despite her new sexy super-slim look.
Robbie added: "It's just a bit of fun. We have a joke when we're together."
Robbie popped out later yesterday morning wearing a beanie hat bearing the logo of WWF Wrestling world champ The Rock and clutching a cup of coffee.
Only the big grin on his face gave a clue as to the nature of his celebrations for his trio of awards.
But their closeness on stage at the ceremony the night before was there for all to see.
When the former Spice Girl handed Robbie his Brit Award at a packed Earls Court it was hard to see who was prouder.
Geri, whose special brand of TLC has seen her drag Robbie back from the brink of self-destruction.
Or Robbie - close to tears - who has managed to remain sober and on the straight and narrow under her guidance.
One onlooker said: "Robbie seemed very emotional. He was clearly glad to be sharing the moment with Geri." 
As she came on stage the former Ginger Spice looked stunning in sparkly gold bra, white mini skirt and long white boots.
She confessed the secret of her beauty lies in yoga, saying: "Its very useful if you know what I mean."
Presenting the award Geri joked: "He's very male, he's very healthy, he's a talented artist, he's got the biggest heart and according to the Press, he's been giving me one so now it's my turn to give him one.
"My dearest friend Robert Williams."
Showing his new-found maturity, Robbie - who had earlier wowed the crowd with his sparkling performance - said:
"I normally stand up here and say something stupid like ask for a fight with somebody because I never thought I deserved it. Thank you."
The duo walked off hand in hand with host Ant claiming: "What a lovely couple."
Yesterday Robbie claimed he was "bored of awards ceremonies" and would rather have watched the Brits at home on the telly.
He told London's Capital FM: "They're pants, they're real real pants. They look great on the television but hardly anything about it is exciting.
"I know it's a celebration of British industry and British talent but I'd rather be at home watching it on the TV so that I can get exciting because you can't when you're here, it's really boring." 
He added: "You know, the table's miles away from the stage, I had to go up three times. 
"It's boring for people at home, you know. Coldplay should have won best single with Yellow.
"I agree about the video, it's debatable about male solo, do you know what I mean? 
"I want to thank everybody for voting for me and all that business but, you know, Robbie Williams shouldn't break the record for Brits."

03.01.01 WEIGHT TILL YOU SEE GERI NOW From The Sun

The talk of the awards was Geri Halliwell's lean new look. 
The singer, pictured above at last night's show, wouldn't eat any of the lavish food backstage. 
Instead, Geri - who has recently lost two stone by counting her calories - asked chefs to prepare her a low-cal meal with no fat or flour. 
So top caterer Marilyn Newman knocked up a tasty dish of steamed fish, green beans and potatoes. 
Her trim figure is a stark contrast to Geri's voluptuous busty look in 1997 as Ginger Spice